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Top 2012 takeaways

Romney concedes

I know that, because that’s when the screaming began.

“I have time to talk,” Joel had been saying into the phone. And then there was this shrieking and shouting and roaring in the background that can only come from people who thought they were too tired to shout that loud but found out they weren’t.

“They just called it for us!” Joel yelled into the phone. “We’re over the top! I’ll call you back!”

I looked at the TV. NBC had just projected Obama with enough electoral votes to win reelection to the presidency.

Not that Joel had been worried. (I call him Joel and not Benenson, because that would be too weird. I have known Joel and his brother for decades now and consider them both friends.)

Joel’s polling had not shown the spikes and valleys that the media narrative had said existed. There were good moments - - the Democratic convention and Mitt Romney’s remarks about how 47 percent of Americans thought they were victims who were entitled to such luxury items as food, housing and health care - - but there were also bad moments like the first presidential debate.

“But it wasn’t volatile no matter what the (public) polls and chatter said,” Joel said when I reached him backstage at McCormick Place before Obama made his victory speech. “The old model that says the undecideds will break for the challenger is no longer true. We knew we would get our share.”

And Obama did not have swings of mood. He didn’t need to, but he probably wouldn’t have had them anyway. It was the same “no drama” Obama, the same guy who maintained his composure no matter what.

“That’s the guy I know,” Joel said. “He stays focused on the mission. I never saw him any other way. We had a lead, we had an edge and we never relinquished it.”

Obama’s polling showed him with an aggregate 3-4 percentage point lead in the battleground states and so election night contained excitement, but not a lot of mystery for Team Obama.

But why? Why did Obama win considering how bad the economy was and considering that his opponent could match him dollar for dollar and then some?

“We went through the second and third debate with the same winning, rational message and it was economic,” Joel said. “Who would fight for middle class Americans? People didn’t trust Romney, they didn’t think he was on their side and they didn’t think he would fight for their interest.”

Readers' Comments (42)

A calm article by Roger. No need for humor tonight. Not even a little bragging about being the first senior journalist to call the election for Obama last spring. Because the white male vote - the refusal to acknowledge the changing face and demographics of America - poses a serious problem for us all. As the President said in his speech tonight.

If the polarization of "We the People" doesn't change who can hope for John Boehner and Eric Cantor and all the gerrymandered white male Republican House members to "trust" the President? Gergen and Brooks and the Trilateral Commission advisers can share their concerns about the US federal deficit numbers. Millions of OCD Tea Party retirees and young libertarians can work themselves into a frenzy. President Obama can make some 'grand bargain' on cutting something from entitlements. Congress can put its foot on the health care system. But it is so much more likely that outside events - like Hurricane Sandy - - - or Midwest and Southern climate change large crop failures - - - will force the widely-distributed action that will bring us to trust the President's leadership. Capitalism concentrates wealth, power, and the means of production. Unemployment is inevitable in an overpopulated capitalist world. Only Nature is vastly distributed... A financial sector bubble collapse is nothing compared to what Nature does ... And only what Nature does can move the 218 votes of the US House of Representatives.

You wake up this morning Joe $100.00 richer...most of which shall go to the new tax increases coming that the rich can easily afford but not the shrinking middle class whose tax and other burdens shall grow significantly starting in 2013...unless you are one of the growing number on the government tit. History will prove 50 years from now that yesterday was a defining moment in America whose "way" shall change forever. Mr. O shall probably appoint at least 2 Supreme Court Judges who shall defend his policies long after he has left the Oval Office. It will become more and more one Party rule (like California) as the masses become more and more dependent on government re-distributions of wealth from those who have it to those who do not.

One expects the government employee's, ghetto folks, homosexuals, illegal aliens, those on the receiving end and idiots to vote for Mr. O and Democrat policies, but as I saw educated, clean cut intelligent people by great numbers supporting that silver tongued devil enthusiastically I only felt despair and sorrow for the USA. How those bright young (mostly women) could be taken in by this charlatan who so clearly HAS NOT earned a second term is completely baffling for me - and I say that sincerely?! Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan were clearly the leaders needed now to fix the sort of dire problems pressing the country more and more. And that the literally 'DO NOTHING' Senate could be retained for doing so just makes me glad that last night those Americans responsible shall get what they deserve!

As said from the beginning to XXX (long before our wager), if I must bet money on this election outcome I'd sadly put it on Mr. O to be re-elected - but I would not have thought the Senate would remain Democratic?! I made the bet with you simply to make a point and losing it is no surprise as both the Presidency and Senate would need to have gone Republican for me to win. The results though have literally made me feel physically ill this morning with a melancholic sadness for America and what she is becoming - a Nation of dependents in one form or the other.

Also, the Hispanic culturally will come to if not dominate then change it far from what its been, and there will be increasing friction between the English and Spanish language - don't think so, then just ask the Canadians about all the trouble caused by a country having 2 different major languages and cultures. Our historic American culture shall change over the next 100 years almost completely and one wonders if it shall be more like that South of the Border and what that represents, or Western Europe - either way NOT what made America unique and a magnet for mankind since its inception who wished to escape those sort of cultures that drive their people away. Now they will come for different reasons...and Americans can only hope that China will have enough money to lend to keep the illusions going?? Of course you may poo-poo these sentiments and dismiss them, yet the handwriting is already on the wall to be clearly seen...regardless, it will NOT be a country we’ve known, rather one many shall wish to escape from.

So now my $100.00 buys me endless gloating - and over the years coming I shall enjoy a lot of it. As America sinks and/or remains mired in conditions like the past 4 years and frustrations grow I shall revel in it with glee thinking you damn fools who voted for this poison must now drink it! As is said, be careful what you wish for - you may just get it.

I'll get you check off in the next few days once I recover from my physical and emotional revulsion...you're gonna need it - XXXXX

angeleyez, chalons, perceptions, where are you? anybody see them in here? i guess i will look for them somewhere else. i am getting worried, i have a feeling they will be on the side of a milk carton before they show up on politico again. does the romney campaign stop sending you checks at this point?

Duh! Ofcourse he wasn't trusted. He never gave a single detail about anything! My favorite was the "I'll create 12 million jobs" nonsense. He never even attempted to explain how he would do it. Mitt also doesn't know history repeats itself. Mitt ran the same campaign that John Kerry ran in 2004. He was a flip-flopper who stood for nothing. Sorry Mitt, people usually don't vote for the mystery box.

Where is conservatism today? Its in the wilderness. Im not sure it will ever recover. America has changed. No longer is this the America of the 50's. For repuplicans to survive they will need to open the country club to all; but personally I think their days are over. This put the nail in the coffin. They put all their eggs in one basket, threw the kitchen sink at Obama, all lost. Their number one mission was not to help fix America, but to destroy Obama, and what did we get for it? A do nothing congress, unwilling to cooperate, and we still got Obama.

Apparently there are more people on the government teat then those with strong moral values and a sense of responsibility. The society in what once was America has become one of entitlement. The minority (those who would be horrified at the thought of being enslaved by an beholden to a government) have lost control and the beggars have followed their leaders into submission. I as many of you, love(d) this country but I am finding it hard to equate where we are now to what our forefathers (and even our fathers) sought for us. It may the frustration talking, but it seems to be clear that the Socialist Welfare States of America is not the place for people who take responsibility for themselves, who relish freedom, who believe government is to be a servant OF the people, and who demand the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. When I find a place on this planet that mirrors those values, I will pack up my family and leave this mess…but I will do it with the same sadness with which I have watched its downfall.

(Hmm I wonder where they will get to money to support their population when all of us ‘earners’ leave...oh yeah it's called Renminbi)

Maybe big money tried to buy the election...but in the end Obama did by 'buying' his voters with welfare, free phones, food stamps, etc. The difference is that 'big money' was using THEIR money and Obama was using the taxpayers.

Poor babies! The GOP used all its dirty tricks: lying about their campaign and those of their opponents, cheated as best they could with voter supression efforts nationwide, and stole with a flood of GOP-packed SCOTUS' Citizens United unlimited, usually anonymous campaign funding only to see Romney/Ryan lose and to lose more seats in the Senate. There clearly were not enough angry, older, poorly educated, bigoted, white voters to carry the day.

Take heart, there were enough older white voters to keep the GOP wackos in the House and to reward them for their bad behavior in Congress that hurt rather than helped America. Keep up the obstructionism, the political terrorism and anarchism and the GOP with become extinct. The GOP wrote off Hispanics, blacks, women, gays, and the youth vote and they are not going to get them back so quickly, certainly not with the extremist right dominating the losing GOP party. The rich will fare well regardless of the election, it was the working class whose economic future was a stake. Now you know what liberals and Democrats felt like when GW Bush was re-elected in 2004 and he was far worse.

MILDLY PUT, BIG defeat for Citizens United, Dirty money and tricks in America politics; big defeat for narrow divisive vision that tries to marginalize women, minorities and other groups, and big defeat for Fox News and their falsehood-oriented news people, pundits and all. So long Allen West, Joe Walsh, Dick Morris, Drudge Report, Karl Rove, Koch Brothers; Donald Trump and other birthers, Paul Ryan and people like them whose narrow-mindedness and extremism were soundly rejected by the American people. Big hands up for young people for their broader and more accommodating vision; women, Latinos, Blacks, Asians etc for their tenacity; and for White America for rejecting decisively Romney's kitchen sink end-justifies-the-means approach to politics. In the end, Romney left the stage gracefully--what he should have done all along! Now, the big task of nation building and sensible compromise can begin for the sake of the nation!

OH please if YOU were an American Christain you too would understand how it works here where we love our country regardless. Thansk god you weren't not allowed to vote in the USA and will never be one of us.